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DPI, LOD, IPS, Polling Rate

Gaming mice have a large number of settings which can be adapted to the individual needs of each game. In most cases, the gaming mouse already has a pre-programmed standardat the time of purchase, which is usually more or less suitable for each game. However, you can significantly influence the performance of your mouse by changing the settings and thus improve the general “in-game handling”. In the following you will find all important information about the necessary fine tuning of gaming mice.

DPI – one of the most important settings

The abbreviation DPI comes from the English “Dots per inch” and means in German as much as “points per inch”. One inch corresponds to about 2.5 centimeters. This refers to the corresponding sensitivity of the mouse. Depending on the setting of the DPI value, the cursor either barely moves on the screen or covers long distances even with the smallest movements of the mouse.

The following rule applies to the setting: If you select a very high “Dots per inch” setting, the mouse reacts very sensitively and perceives even the finest hand movements. On the other hand, a rather low DPI value causes the gaming mouse to move more strongly, or even to have to be used more than once to move the cursor on the screen.

This can get on your nerves with a too low setting, but a rather low DPI value improves the accuracy of certain actions in the game enormously. It is therefore recommended to keep the setting rather low, but make sure that the playing surface is still navigable in a pleasant way.

Polling rate – the higher the better?

The so-called polling rate is the frequency at which the gaming mouse transmits its own position to the computer. This is measured in Hertz, short Hz. The unit determines the number of transfers per second. For example, if a mouse has a polling rate setting of 100 Hertz, the current location of the mouse is sent 100 times to the PC in 60 seconds.
To obtain the value in milliseconds, divide 1000 milliseconds (corresponds to one second) by the respective number of Hertz.

Most passionate and professional gamers swear by a high polling rate setting. This of course has the clear advantage that the game reacts faster to your own hand movements. However, what you have to keep in mind with a high polling rate is that such a setting will slightly increase the processor load. Anything above 1000 Hz therefore makes no sense.

As a good average, a setting of 500 Hertz is recommended, which corresponds to a transmission frequency of two milliseconds.

LOD – mostly negligible

in the newer models

LOD stands for “Lift off Distance”, which means the distance between the mouse and the pad. This distance refers to the distance between the mouse and the pad, such as the mouse pad. At a certain distance, the mouse sensor no longer reacts, which makes it possible, for example, to move the device. Of all the described settings, many gamers rate this value as the least important. However, this cannot be said in general terms and depends entirely on the type of game. If you have to lift and reposition your mouse frequently in the course of the game, for example due to a low DPI setting, and don’t have arms that long by chance, the “lift off value” can quickly mean a high significance with a big influence on the game quality.

Normally the value should be set to about 1.5 millimeters. However, some gamers swear by higher “lift off distance” values. The upper limit is two centimeters.

IPS – another unimportant value

The IPS setting is the maximum speed value that the mouse sensor can still correctly transmit to the computer. The abbreviation IPS stands for “Inch per Second”, which means “inch per second”. One inch corresponds to about 2.5 centimeters.
This specific setting is easier to understand with the help of an example: If your gaming mouse has a “inch per second” setting of 200, this corresponds to a speed of about five meters per second. If your hand moves more than five meters within this time span, it can happen that the sensor of your gaming mouse has problems transferring data to the computer.

In the vast majority of cases, however, this value is more than sufficient. There is virtually no known game that requires an IPS setting higher than 250.
Ripple & Jitter – avoid at all costs

Although this setting is still present on new gaming mice, incorrectly set values are hardly associated with problems on modern and, above all, high-quality devices.
In German, ripple and jitter mean as much as “crimping and fluttering”. This means incorrect location settings, which result from the fact that the gaming mouse is constantly repositioned during the game. One can imagine this as occasional “trembling” of the cursor on the screen.

Of course, this is absolutely undesirable for games that require high precision, such as shooting games. But the game quality of many other programs can also suffer greatly from this error. Therefore it is advisable to pay attention to good reviews of previous customers when buying and generally to invest in high quality gaming mice.

As you can see, the tuning of your gaming mouse can have an enormous influence on the quality of your gaming experience. Correctly selected values for the individual settings can also improve your performance and have a positive effect on individual gaming success. Although there are reference values for the individual settings, it is the individual feeling or experience of the gamers that counts most. Furthermore, every game has different features. Therefore, it is not a bad idea to check the mouse settings before each game and adjust them if necessary.